Chapter 9

LEXIE

I wasn’t sure why I was humoring these two. They were obviously insane. I should be running for the door, straight back to my tiny apartment and locking myself in tight.

But I didn’t feel afraid. I couldn’t explain it, but instead of fear, or annoyance at being lied to, a growing excitement deep inside me began to spread outward from my belly.

I suspected the feeling was amplified at the sight of Markus’s naked chest.

Jeezus... wow.

Markus was a god. I’d never seen a man that sculpted, that perfect, that beautiful in real life.

But then, right before my eyes, he started to change. I kept blinking, trying to clear my vision, but it made no difference. His features became sharper, hairier, then he was shrinking in size. Down to the ground, on all fours like a... “Oh. My. God.”

I didn’t move. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Adrenaline zinged along my arms and legs, making my heart pound, but my butt seemed rooted to the spot. Would my suddenly shaking legs even hold me up if I jumped to my feet and tried to run? My gaze shot to the front door. Would I make it?

There was a wolf inside the house. A beautiful, terrifying wolf.

“Lexie? It’s okay. It’s still Markus. He won’t hurt you, I promise. Lexie? Are you all right?” Ollie spoke from beside me, and I managed to turn and look at him, gulping down the fear that held my breath in tight.

“That’s... Markus?”

I focused on Ollie, on the warmth of his gaze as he nodded and smiled gently. “It is. I promise you’re safe.”

“Um...” I glanced back at the wolf now sitting like a trained dog in the middle of the lounge room. Only, he was much larger than any dog I’d ever seen. “I... don’t know what to do.”

Ollie called out to the huge gray wolf. “Markus, shift back. I think she’s got the picture.”

The wolf stood, shook out its fur coat, and then the air around him seemed to waver and morph, until once again, Markus was there, standing before me in all his glory.

All his naked glory.

I couldn’t help but stare at his long, thick cock, hanging against his thigh. A lick of arousal—which seemed so inappropriate given the circumstances—curled in my belly. He was absolutely magnificent, naked. Then he reached for his jeans and shirt, and the show was over.

I blinked and stood up, running my hands hurriedly through my hair. Had I imagined the whole thing?

Markus went to his part of the massive sofa and sat back down with his pizza and beer, as if nothing had happened.

I walked over to where the wolf had just been. Looked down at the carpet that had paw prints still softly embedded in the pile.

“I... did I just see a...” I didn’t want to even say it.

I turned toward the two men. Ollie was still eating pizza and Markus was sipping a beer.

Markus shrugged. “Yes. We’re wolves. No big thing.”

“No. Big. Thing,” I repeated, and began to pace. Up and down. My brain was finally clear and thinking fast. “So, you’re telling me this is... normal. That there are lots of you guys?”

How was it possible that this secret had been kept quiet from most humans?

Markus grabbed a handful of peanut chocolate candies. “Yep. Nancy is part of our pack as well.”

I crossed my arms over my boobs and glared down at him. “Oh my God. Don’t tell me you’re all skinny and fit and look like that.”

Markus’s lips flickered as though he was trying not to smile. “Most wolves are pretty fit, yeah. But no. They don’t all look like us. Or her.”

My temper flared, backed by a healthy dose of irrational jealousy.

“Well, if she’s your type, what the hell am I doing here?” I threw up my hands and charged for the stairs. “I’ll grab my shit and go home.”

Markus got up and jumped in front of me faster than was humanly possible. Oh, that’s right. He isn’t human.

I glared at him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m—”

“What?” I put both hands on my hips. “You’re going to lie and tell me you don’t sleep with her?”

He shrugged. “I have in the past. So what? You going to tell me you’re a virgin?”

Hell, no. I got rid of that prize at fifteen, as soon as I met a boy I liked. Being inexperienced and living with my mother in her den of danger, my virginity wasn’t something I wanted stolen from me.

I’d been lucky.

But that wasn’t the same as being a man-whore. “No... but...”

“No buts,” he growled. “You have a past. I have a past. Hell, even perfect Ollie has a past. You don’t get to hold that against me.”

I inhaled sharply. Perfect Ollie? Sounded like he was holding onto a lot of shit, envy toward his brother being one of them.

“Beside the point,” I countered. “How am I supposed to compete with women who look like Nancy?”

He rolled his eyes and groaned. “With women who have tight asses but no brain? Small boobs and no heart? Yeah... so much competition you have.”

I was flabbergasted. Was he hinting that he was attracted to me, despite what I looked like? What was I supposed to say to that?

“Come back and we’ll explain more,” Ollie called from behind me. “Please.”

If I was being completely honest, I had hoped that both of them might want me, at least a little bit. A massively arrogant hope, in retrospect. In reality, I had no right to be jealous of Nancy, or any other woman they had slept with.

I had no proof they even liked me at all, really.

Except for the way they had just jumped to stop me leaving.

I didn’t understand what was going on. So, I turned around and stalked back to the only recliner chair in the room, separating myself from the guys. “Okay. Explain.”

Markus indicated to Ollie, not speaking, and I had to assume he was giving his brother the stage.

Ollie slid forward, perching on the edge of the couch in a casual, far too sexy way.

“Look, this is gonna sound so strange to a human—”

“You mean, stranger than finding out you two can shift into wolves and back?”

He barked out a short laugh. “I guess that is strange to you. But there’s more. Some of us in the various shifter packs are born as twins, called Perfect Pairs. We’re opposite in every way—brains versus brawn, serious versus fun-loving, dark versus light. But our attributes complement each other, and legend has it that there is one person out there in the world who is designed just for us, as we are for her—our perfect mate. A Fated Mate. Like—”

“Like a soul mate?” I asked. “You guys have them for legit? Not like romance novel, movie bullshit?”

Markus jerked his head in a nod that was almost non-committal, so I focused on Ollie.

Ollie kept talking. “Yeah. When we meet the one Fated Mate meant for us, an electrical impulse literally takes our legs out from under us. It’s the way it is with Fated Mates. The shock makes sure that we don’t miss the perfect woman when we happen upon her.”

Despite all the food I’d eaten this afternoon, my stomach began to feel hollow. Empty. Sick. An electric impulse that takes their legs out from under them...

“You can’t be serious.” They weren’t saying that I was their... “For both of you? No way.”

I couldn’t believe it. I was so far from perfect, I simply couldn’t be anyone’s perfect soul mate. Let alone for two beautiful men like Ollie and Markus. There was just... “No. No.”

I got up and began to pace and fidget at the same time. I would have looked crazy to an outsider, shaking my head about and twiddling my fingers, but I had so much nervous energy pulsing through me, I had no idea what to do with it all.

Ollie stood up but stayed close to the sofa, which I was glad about. I didn’t want him crowding me. I was already feeling overwhelmed.

“For me?” he said. “Yes. It’s true. Everything points to the fact that you’re my mate. I’ve been waiting for you, and desperately want you to stay here. Be my partner in life.”

I blew out an exasperated sigh. “You haven’t even kissed me yet. How can you put so much faith into some electric, pulsing thing?”

Ollie’s lips spread into a wide grin. “I can change that.”

And before I could think about the challenge I’d thrown down, he stalked forward, slid his hand around my waist and pulled me into his body for a kiss.

My eyes slid closed as he took my mouth, pressing my lips apart and sweeping his tongue inside. I gasped and pushed closer, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back with all the pent-up need inside of me.

He tasted divine, and the way his tongue danced with mine was like he’d kissed me a million times before.

I didn’t stop kissing him, even with all the confusion and worry and grief I’d been through in the past. My old life was finished; I could feel it dropping away from me in the way a snake must feel when it sheds its skin. Slightly uncomfortable, but with relief and freedom following on swift wings.

I pressed against him harder, reaching for his shirt buttons. I wanted to feel his hot skin beneath my fingers. Explore the gorgeous body I knew was beneath his clothes.

But he pulled back, breathing hard. “Stop. We need to talk more. We have more to tell you.”

I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to have it confirmed that Markus didn’t want me. It was obvious he had issues up the wazoo. I’d had the shittiest few days—make that years—and I wanted to feel good for a while before my hopes were dashed yet again.

“Please,” I whispered, undoing one button on his shirt, then the next.

Ollie’s eyes flared with hunger. “You’re not playing fair. You know how much I want you. You can probably feel it against you.”

He thrust with his hips and the impressive erection I could, indeed, feel against my belly mashed even harder. More insistent. I gasped a little at the roll of heat that went through me, and he groaned. “Lexie.”I went up on my toes and kissed him on the lips again. The fact that he wanted me so much and believed I was this amazing woman who had been designed just for him was fueling my need.

No one had ever declared they wanted me in such a way.

“What about Markus?” Ollie whispered against my mouth. “We need to talk about him. About what it all means.”

I inhaled sharply and pulled back. I didn’t know how to deal with Markus, but something told me that leaving him out now would be a huge error.

I pulled off the hoodie and tossed it onto the chair, then tiptoed over to Markus.

He was standing with his back against the wall, staring at me. His eyes were dark and troubled, blazing with a passion that appeared to be stoked by fury.

I tilted my head back and stared up at him. “You don’t know what you want yet, do you?”

He didn’t move to begin with, worry warring with the desire in his expression.

Then, at last, he shook his head.

I tried not to take offense. If anything, his honesty was refreshing. He wasn’t trying to manipulate me into bed or lie about his intentions. What he was really saying was that he couldn’t throw his hat into the ring like Ollie was. He couldn’t commit to the whole idea about soul mates, and forever. Not yet anyway.

Anxiety filled my chest. What if he never could? My breath shortened, but I would not run away.

This was one of those life moments. I could sense it. A turning point, fucking important moment for all three of us. I could actually feel the depth and complexity of it, hanging like a heavy weight in the room. Invading my limbs and making the muscles tremble. Building fear in the pit of my stomach. Increasing the thumping of my heart against my ribs.

I took a deep breath and did the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I pushed my jeans down my thighs and kicked out of my socks.

They’re gonna think I’m fat. Totally unfuckable.

My t-shirt was long enough to cover my ass, thankfully, but that didn’t stop my insecurities from rising like a high tide. I could feel my cheeks heating as my face burned with embarrassment. Had I just made a huge mistake? Had I given Markus a reason to run?

But Markus didn’t seemed turned off. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’d never seen such a look of intense need as his gaze raked down my body and legs and back up again.

“Lexie... I don’t.... I can’t... the future...” He was trying to explain, I knew it. But I didn’t need him to talk about forever.

“Let’s put forever aside for now, Markus.” My voice was husky. “What about right now?” I smiled at him, I hoped in a seductive way. “What about tonight?”

His pupils dilated and there was a flash of silver that had my breath catching in my throat. What was that? Was it his... wolf?

He made a strange, growly-type noise, then reached for me, sliding his hand under my t-shirt, to the bare skin at the base of my spine.

I whimpered as he pulled me against his body, the heat of his hand burning an imprint into my flesh.

He dropped his head and whispered into my ear. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, Lexie. You are the hottest... sexiest...” He nipped my ear with each punctuated word. “Woman I have ever seen. I can’t think of anything better than sinking my cock into you.”

I grabbed hold of his shirt and closed my eyes, needing the words as much as I needed his touch. Every syllable soothed years of injuries. A lifetime of rejection. Before now.

“But I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered against my ear.

I slipped my hands down to his waistline and untucked his shirt. “No buts. Please. Just for tonight.”

I knew it would break my heart if Markus decided he was kicking me to the curb after one night, but he and Ollie were worth the risk.

His mouth crashed down on mine, and everything around me faded away.